THE THREE MAGICAL KEYS TO COLLEGE SUCCESS

As a student, schedules and overall work can get overwhelming. Most students will try to strive through school year by missing classes, eating fast food, and pulling all-nighters. We all have been there before, and hence we all know it is counterproductive to maintain these habits. In order to guide students toward a healthy lifestyle and a greater success, we give here the three magical key to college success. Good luck!

FOOD EXERCISE SLEEP

FOOD

The food you eat will have a strong impact on your performance. Unlike what most people think, even one fast food meal a week will affect your overall health. By fast food we refer to any time of meal that was prepared and serve by your cafeteria. Indeed, not only big hamburgers chains are bad for your health. Anything that was prepared in advance and then stored to be served at a large scale is likely to contain ingredients full of salt, sugar, trans fat, and other bad ingredients for your health. Remember the golden rule: if the food can´t go bad means it is bad for you. Indeed, food served in cafeteria usually contains ingredients with high rate of preservatives in it. In order to avoid eating un-healthy, and usually expensive, cafeteria food, you should prepare simple lunch box. Within a click on Google, thousands of easy meals are awaiting you! Not having time is only a question of "taking" the time.

Also, three meals a day is not a suggestion, it is an obligation. Breakfast is essential for keeping you awaken and focused throughout the day. It also provides you with the essential energy you need to start your day. If you skip breakfast, you´ll have less energy and will be tired within the first half of your day. Again, if you have no idea of what is a healthy breakfast, take a look at ideas on Pinterest or blogs. The web is full of information on nutrition! Lunch is almost as important as breakfast given that it will allow you to go through your afternoon and avoid falling for junk cravings. You know that chocolate bar you want to buy so badly around 3pm, right before your long and boring stat class? Yeah, it is only going to increase your craving! Also when you´re craving for sweets it usually means that your body lacks of chromium, carbon phosphorus, sulfur, or tryptophan. This lack can be counterpartyed by eating broccoli, fresh fruits, chicken, cranberries, kale, cheese, and other food.

For further information on how to address your cravings and your healthy daily diet in general, visit our Pinterest board called A Healthy Student Life at http://www.pinterest.com/babilonlanguage/a-healthy-student-life/

EXERCISE

Even if integrating 1 hour at the gym three times a week seems like almost impossible, it is utterly recommended by specialists to stay active. Your mind works hard at school, and your body should do so too. If going to the gym is really impossible, then you can integrate physical activities in your daily routine. The bus ride to school is 10 minutes? Chances are you could walk that in 30 minutes! Need to take a study break? Take a walk around your neighborhood! Class is on the third floor? Take the stairs! Try to be as active as possible throughout your day. When your body moves it increase your metabolism. A faster metabolism means a greater reserve of energy!

Also, don´t be shy to decline social invitations in order to have more time on your hand for sports. If you join a sport team at your school it will allow you to have social interactions within a healthy activity. Furthermore, it will create a commitment with going to the practices.

SLEEP

Did you know that one night without sleep leaves you in the same state than if you were legally drunk at a blood alcohol content of 0.08?  So, would you show up to an exam with this blood alcohol content? No. So why would you pull all-nighters? Sleeping allow your body to rest. Just as our computers need to restart in order to complete the installation of a program, your body needs to shut down for a little while in order to process what you learn every day at school. This is especially true during exam periods.

Furthermore, good sleep habits, such as a regular sleep schedule and a great sleep environment will help you to develop an “efficient” sleep. Again, with a quick research on Google you can find hundreds of trick to improve your sleep habits.